as in struggling
to devote serious and sustained effort
the young lawyer labored most of the weekend over the difficult legal brief
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Recent Examples of laboring
The son of a medical-gas plumber who worked night shifts, Darnold just kept laboring at his craft.
—
Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
In the summer of 2024, UNICEF’s representative in Congo suggested that 361,000 children might be laboring in mines in southern Congo, though this number seems implausibly high and drew quick opprobrium from Congolese NGOs that work on the issue.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
What viewers didn’t see was the 40 hours Daniels spent laboring on the project from inside a bomb shelter during a 2025 missile attack in Kyiv.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 21 Jan. 2026
That’s right, the Patriot did in two seasons what the Dolphins have been laboring since 2008 to achieve.
—Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025
Mobley had been laboring to expand his range all offseason, launching thousands of 3s.
—Mirin Fader, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
Mohamed Hacham, who realized the laboring woman couldn’t wait for the fire rescue team.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 10 Nov. 2025
The Dodgers then knocked off the Giants in the NL Division Series, though Scherzer lost his Game 3 start – allowing three hits and a run on Evan Longoria’s game-deciding homer while laboring seven innings and 110 pitches.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 26 Oct. 2025
With The Fulfillment, the sub-context is how clout culture is a currency, how attention itself has become a currency, just like our laboring bodies are.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 19 Sep. 2025
Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
In the summer of 2024, UNICEF’s representative in Congo suggested that 361,000 children might be laboring in mines in southern Congo, though this number seems implausibly high and drew quick opprobrium from Congolese NGOs that work on the issue.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
What viewers didn’t see was the 40 hours Daniels spent laboring on the project from inside a bomb shelter during a 2025 missile attack in Kyiv.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 21 Jan. 2026
That’s right, the Patriot did in two seasons what the Dolphins have been laboring since 2008 to achieve.
—Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025
Mobley had been laboring to expand his range all offseason, launching thousands of 3s.
—Mirin Fader, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
Mohamed Hacham, who realized the laboring woman couldn’t wait for the fire rescue team.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 10 Nov. 2025
The Dodgers then knocked off the Giants in the NL Division Series, though Scherzer lost his Game 3 start – allowing three hits and a run on Evan Longoria’s game-deciding homer while laboring seven innings and 110 pitches.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 26 Oct. 2025
With The Fulfillment, the sub-context is how clout culture is a currency, how attention itself has become a currency, just like our laboring bodies are.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laboring
Verb
-
Bear, struggling with drug addiction, had no one urging her to fight the state’s case.—
Raynee Howell,
Oklahoma Watch,
9 Feb. 2026
-
He’s trapped in rolling crises of his own making and is struggling to sell voters on the idea of a strong American economy.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
There are filmmakers in Hollywood now, working under the same conditions — bloody conflict abroad, corruption in politics, monolithic mainstream entertainment — and striving for a similar freedom.—
Paul Fischer,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Learning a new skill is key to staying relevant in what Jake confirmed is the rapidly evolving K-pop universe, one that is quick to react to trends and changes as the industry cranks out a steady stream of new acts, each striving to carve a unique lane to break through to global audiences.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The launcher carries six 300 mm rockets and is operated by a small crew working from within an armored cabin designed to protect against shrapnel and small-arms fire, according to reports.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
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The bold plan did not pan out, and NASA is currently working to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028 — the timeframe the agency had been working toward in the Obama era.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
According to a synopsis, the book sees Mickey endeavoring to help the wrongly accused.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Beyond endeavoring to sleep and also muscle through the day while the sun is bright overhead, the most challenging part for Mehta was the first day of sled pulling when her team moved from Vinson Base Camp to Low Camp.—
Wendy Altschuler,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are the worker bees of academia, toiling in labs for years in hopes of one day running their own hive.—
Jonathan Wosen,
STAT,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Those past records found the artist toiling through major personal losses, including his mother in 2016 and his sister in 2019.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Laboring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laboring. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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